In the past couple of posts I’ve been talking about RSS feeds, what they are and how they can be helpful to the work at home mom’s business.

Well, being the social media and podcasting junkie that I am, I just have to transition from RSS to the subject of podcasting.

I can’t help but to reveal some level of excitement when I talk about podcasting. Just 2 years ago I thought it was the best invention since sliced bread. No, really…for any internet based business, I truly believe in garnering that one-on-one personal relationship with your web reader.

When you engage your readers, you do so much more than sell products or services. You CONNECT with another human being. Your message carries more weight, and crosses all barriers and time zones, and reflects a 3 dimensional REAL human being they are communicating with when you add the dimension of voice and/or video to your website.

So, I’ll have to say, one of my main focuses in my own business is to help other business women see the importance of utilizing voice based marketing/partnering/networking for their online business.

The first step toward this process is creating a digital audio voice file for your web. It could be in the form of a welcome message, or a free audio class for example. See a sample of this here.

The next step toward podcasting is to create an RSS feed to syndicate it. This automatically creates a podcast for you. You can add to this feed as often as you wish, creating new episodes and newly updated material for syndication.

In the next couple of posts I plan to explain more about podcasting and why you may wish to begin including this in your marketing strategy. I’ll also give you a heads up on HOW you can learn to podcast.

I’m currently working on a revision of my INternet Radio Podcast Bootcamp.

In the revised course, you’ll get all the steps you need to begin podcasting in a more refined, streamlined format. You’ll find the new course much easier to digest as the process is simplified by the use of “new media”.

More about the new reveal soon…meanwhile what are your thoughts about podcasting?

If you already own a podcast for your business, drop me comment below to share how your podcast has helped your business.

If you don’t already own a podcast, drop me a comment below if you have any specific questions about podcasting and how it would affect your business. What are your thoughts about podcasting in general? How do you feel about implementing this new technique of connecting with “listeners” at your site? Are you hesitant or ready to jump on board? Why or why not?

I’d love to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Your Web Media Success Coach, Podcast Consultant, & Internet Marketing Strategist

Twitter This

Usuario: Password:

Thirdly, you will need sound editing software. Again, there are a variety of options out there including subscription programs such as Audio Acrobat (which runs about $20 a month), or Hipcast (which runs about $4.95 a month), and Adobe Audition (which is what I use. Actually I use an older version of it called Cool Edit Pro), but this can run you about $300. So each of these options (and believe me, there are SO many more options out there), but each of these cost something. But there is one open source software download available that is absolutely free called Audacity, and it’s the software that I teach from in my coaching sessions. My clients who have used Audacity found it fairly simple to navigate and use after one or two hours of coaching with me and are now able to create their podcasts effectively without my help, which tells me that Audacity is not too difficult to learn. Again, it’s free, and it’s easy to learn, and that’s why I use it in my lesson plans.

Internet Marketing Strategist & Web Media Success Coach

Work At Home Moms Start a Home Based Business

Twitter This

Usuario: Password:

Secondly, you will need a PC microphone. I always suggest the Logitech headset which retails at Walmart, Target, or Sam’s Club for under $20. This is a headset which has both the earphones and microphone piece attached as one unit. This will reduce your expenses of having to go out and purchase high end microphones and headsets which can cost you a couple of hundred dollars. However, if studio quality is what you’re looking for, you may want to check out some of the better equipment such as condenser mics, mixers, and audio input devices found at music stores. But for the purposes of my coaching sessions and because I help small businesses on a budget, I recommend purchasing a headset mic for under $20.

Internet Marketing Strategist & Web Media Success Coach

Work At Home Moms Start a Home Based Business

Twitter This

Usuario: Password:

There are different tools and services available today that I just couldn’t cover in one session with you. With all the many options out there, I’ve decided to settle on tools that are either relatively inexpensive or free, and this is what I require when I coach my clients on producing their own podcasts.

So the first equipment needed is a computer. And I would recommend that you have at leas 256 MB or ram, but your optimal would be 512 MB just b/c there is more random access memory available which allows you to have more programs open at one time and is just more convenient as far as speed as well. However, I’ve produced podcasts on computers with less than 256 mb of ram, and it worked out ok, although I’m not recommending it, but you just do what you have to do and use what you have available to you. More than likely if you purchased your computer in the past 3 or 4 years, you should be okay–just double check the amount of ram you have, and you can kind of tell if your computer is generally slow and gets locked up quite a bit whether or not you need to add more RAM. Adding more RAM is a matter of getting to Circuit City or some eletronics store and having someone there help you locate the type or RAM you need for your PCâ, but I wouldn’t worry about that too much if you’re computer is not too old. Just try recording a few times and you’ll get the picture very quickly about whether or not you need to update your computer system.

Internet Marketing Strategist & Web Media Success Coach

Work At Home Moms Start a Home Based Business

Twitter This

Usuario: Password:

Now for those of you who are business owners and want to begin a podcast for your business, you have many positive outcomes as a result of podcasting as well.

We know, based on observation that there are many people in the world of business who have decided that producing a podcast proves instrumental in their marketing efforts. Again, taking a look at two of the most popular podcasting directories out there: podcastalley.com and podcasting.net, you’l find that there are over 1,000 documented and listed podcasts about business on the web. So, this should give you an idea of how popular podcasting is even in the business world. The subjects range from marketing to management to business start up to investing to networking, and on and on. There are work at home moms, women business owners, black business owners, CEO’s of large corporations, Fortune 500 companies, teenage business owners, leaders of educational institutions, and so forth–all of these different types of people with different backgrounds and different interests, but all in the world of business who have begun podcasts to help them spread their business message and share with the world who they are and what they have to offer.

And need I say more about how this could potentially increase sales!

Internet Marketing Strategist & Web Media Success Coach

Work At Home Moms Start a Home Based Business

Twitter This

Usuario: Password:

I’ll share my passion with you:

I know that I love to teach and train, and when I was a little girl (and I’m talking way before kindergarten) I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. However, even after gaining a bachelors in Child Development and working with young children in that capacity, and even after being offered a part time position as a technology substitute teacher for elementary and high school at a lucrative private school, I still hadn’t found my niche.

When I found out about podcasting, I began to tinker around with the technology side of it until I learned it and then I caught the bug and wanted to teach others about it. When I learned to design websites out of necessity for a crafts business I had begun a few years back, I caught the bug and wanted to teach others how to design websites, and wanted to provide web design services. When I found out about the process of internet marketing, what do you think happened? I caught the bug, and wanted to teach others. Additionally, as I grew in my faith, I wanted to pull others up with me in my spiritual journey, and so I caught the bug and started reaching out to help and, again, teach others faith-related matters.

So, I ultimately became an email coach and teacher, answering questions, tutoring, assisting, creating etraining programs and video tutorials,and then I realized where my strength lies and where my passion is,and it’s ultimately teaching and coaching. And that was how I began each of my podcasts. They all came out of my passions and desires to fulfill a need that I have and that others have. It came out of my purpose and the podcasts help to fulfill my destiny.

So, this is what I mean by spirituality and business technologies connecting together to form a unit. I started podcasting because of my desire to share with the world what was inside of my heart…just bursting to get out!

Internet Marketing Strategist & Web Media Success Coach

Work At Home Moms Start a Home Based Business

Twitter This

Usuario: Password:

Let’s talk about podcasting (or “godcasting”) for a moment.

The great thing about this mode of audio content delivery is that your listeners are subscribed, so they obviously WANT what you have to offer. They are interested in your audios because they enjoy listening to you.

I can’t even begin to tell you how exciting this can be for your business or ministry.

Let’s start with the ministry aspect of things:

Let’s say you are a teacher or pastor within your church and the church often times records messages and distributes them via CD ROM or tape. One way of getting the word out about your church is to pass out these CD’s and tapes and invite a friend to come to church with you. People who have never been to your church before listen to the CD of your pastor’s sermon and appreciate what they hear. They want to hear more. So they come visit your church one Sunday to meet your pastor in person.

Okay, now let’s take this same scenario and apply this to podcasting.

So instead of viewing CD and tape distribution as the ONLY option for delivering sermons, you now have another mechanism by which you can reach a larger audience. And the thing to remember is, you are absolutely taking the message of your church or ministry GLOBAL when you podcast. This is international marketing. Your podcast will be available online for the whole world to view, subscribe to, and download.

If a pastor decides to allow a member of his church staff to help him podcast his messages, the church sermons are now reaching a wider audience and are world wide. Your church could ultimately be reaching people who are planning to relocate to your area, found your podcast and decide to join your church simply because they had been subscribed to your podcast.

Now, this is only an example of what COULD potentially happen as a result of one being a subscriber.

There are plenty of other positive outcomes that could take place, such as your church begins to receive donations from podcast listeners who appreciate the encouragement they receive, your church is able to reach a massive amount of people with the Gospel and also touches many more lives as a result of podcasting.

Internet Marketing Strategist & Web Media Success Coach

Work At Home Moms Start a Home Based Business

Twitter This

Usuario: Password: